isis-tries-spreading-wings-in-jharkhand-through-telegram-instagram

International terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was observed luring youth in Jharkhand with the help of social media platforms Telegram and Instagram.

ISIS was trying to expand the organisation in Jharkhand by connecting the youth with its ideology. 

The terrorist organisation was operating by forming groups on both social media sites.

The facts were mentioned in a chargesheet filed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) on Monday, January 15 in the Jharkhand module case, in a special NIA court in Ranchi. 

The NIA has filed a charge sheet in the case against Faizan Ansari alias Faiz, arrested from Lohardaga district and Umar alias Rahul Sen, arrested from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh.

Notably, Faiz was arrested on July 20, 2023, while his associate Omar Bahadur alias Rahul Sen was caught in September 2023 by Ratlam.

In the charge sheet, NIA has charged both the ISIS suspects under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code. 

Further investigation in the case is continuing as per the provisions of Section 173 (8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Nineteen-year-old Faiz was arrested from his house in Mittal Colony, Lohardaga. 

He was a student of Aligarh Muslim University. During interrogation, he admitted that he came in contact with this organization during his studies at AMU for two years. He had reached his home two before his arrest, in May 2023.

Based on his interrogation, the NIA on the night of 17th July searched his rented room in Aligarh, from where many electronic devices as well as objectionable materials/documents were seized. After this, he remained in NIA remand for several days and then he was sent to jail.

The NIA in its investigation found that Faiz was engaged in propagating the ISIS ideology across the country. He had also taken an oath to establish the Khilafat. Faiz was also active in a conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, involving youth in ISIS.

For this purpose, he created many cyber groups of ISIS and distributed ISIS booklets Voice of Hind and Voice of Khorasan among these cyber groups.